Parasite
Parasite is the eighteenth episode of the NBC drama series Heroes. This episode was the last to be aired until the end of April, where the series continued to finish the season. Ordinary people have discovered extraordinary abilities. Plot Summary Isaac, the artist who can paint the future, has accidentally shot his former lover Simone in an attempt to kill Peter. Isaac blames Peter for Simone's death because Peter had made himself invisible and Isaac shot at the noises Simone made entering his apartment thinking it was Peter. Isaac tries again to kill Peter but Peter is able to escape Isaac's studio by using his invisibility. Hiro, who is trying to enter the Corinthian Casino in Las Vegas with a Tour Group from Osaka is stopped at the top of the escalators by Francis, a security guard, who says that he has been flagged by security as some kind of cheat. After the Corintian security guards' warning, which most people don't even get, Hiro says that Mr. Linderman has extended an invitation to him in an attempt to gain access to the hotel. However this merely causes the security guards to grab Hiro and forcefully remove him from the hotel. Hiro is firm in his belief that he will somehow find away to enter the Corintian Casino because bigger men than the two security guards have tried to stop him on his mission and were unsuccessful. Bennet is unable to remember anything about Matt Parkman and Ted Sprague holding his family hostage and shooting his daughter, Claire, or about being shot in the side by the Haitian. Thompson is suspicious of Bennet but Bennet does not care because his daughter is missing and he is determined to find her and bring her home safe. Finding Claire may not be as easy as Bennet thinks because he is wounded from a bullet going clean through his side which has been recently stitched up and has no memories of anything after driving his wife home from the hospital. Thompson seems to believe Bennet's story that his partner, the Haitian, went rogue and took the memories of Bennet and his wife and son but he won't allow Bennet to go after the Haitian and his daughter because he forgot that Claire was just an assignment and not really his daughter. Thompson reminds Bennet that when Claire was given to him as a baby he tried to turn down the assignment but he did what he was told and that is exactly what Thompson expects him to do now. Unbeknownst to Bennet, Matt and Candace have been observing his conversation with Thompson from behind a two-way mirror in the next room. Thompson asks Matt what he thinks and Matt tells him that Bennet is telling the truth and he does not know where Claire is. As Thompson and Candace leave the room Matt yells after them and demands that they wait because they agreed to let Matt go after he helped them. Thompson tells Matt to take it easy and they will eventually let him go. Claire Bennet and the Haitian have been driving down route I90 all day but neither one of them have spoken much. Claire wants to go back to her family and asks the Haitian when it will be safe to do so. The Haitian tells her it will not be anytime soon and reminds Claire that they are running from the people he and her father work for and that they can do things to her that not even she can recover from. Then he tells Claire they will be leaving the country that night. Nathan's campaign manager escorts FBI agents Quesada and Alonzo into Nathan's office in New York. The agents start off by saying they are investigating illegal campaign contributions Nathan may have recieved from the Linderman group because they are based in Las Vegas and Nathan is running for office in New York. Nathan begins to explain that his father served as in house counsel for the group before he died but once Nathan's campaign manger leaves and a quick sweep for listening devices finds nothing Nathan expresses his anger with the agents for not exercising any discretion, surprising him with an office visit and meeting with him face to face. The agents express their disappointment that Nathan has not yet delivered Linderman to them and asks why Linderman has asked for Nathan to meet him at his casino later that night. When Nathan says that Linderman probably wants to tell him how he is going to put him ahead in the polls despite currently being four points behind and what is expected of him after he wins the agents ask him to wear a wire and record the meeting because he is the only one who can get enough incriminating evidence to put Linderman behind bars. Once the FBI agents leave it is revealed that Peter heard the whole conversation when he makes himself visible again. Nathan tells a curious Peter that he has been working with the FBI since his wife Heidi's accident and that he wants to take Linderman down for a long time. When Nathan notices the blood on Peter's cheek Peter tells him it is Simone's blood and that Isaac shot and killed Simone while attempting to kill him. Nathan attempts to console his brother by telling him he had nothing to do with Simone's death but Peter is convinced it is his fault. Nathan tries to convince Peter to stay with him and not do anything by suggesting that they call Suresh, who is working on a cure and can study Peter, but Peter is concerned that as long as he is alive everyone around him is in danger and that it is too late to call Suresh. When Nathan's campaign manager knocks on the door of his office to tell him it is time for his flight to Las Vegas Peter becomes invisible and leaves the room. After Simone Deveaux dies, Isaac Mendez blames Peter Petrelli for her death and tries to shoot Peter, who turns invisible and leaves. Distraught, Peter goes to Nathan for help. Nathan says he will leave an anonymous phone call to the police, directing them to Isaac's home. Peter then disappears again. Thompson questions Mr. Bennet, who states that the last thing he remembers is driving his wife home from the hospital. He does not know the whereabouts of Claire or The Haitian. Later, outside the room, Thompson and Candice Wilmer observe Bennet, along with Matt Parkman, who is being held against his will. Parkman says that Mr. Bennet is telling the truth. A few hours later, Mr. Bennet and Candice arrive at Isaac's apartment. Candice disguises herself as Simone and hides Simone's corpse to fool the police. The image of Simone haunts Isaac, and he begs Mr. Bennet to stay. But he refuses, claiming that they concocted an alibi, saying Simone will be in Europe indefinitely. After they leave, a devastated Isaac goes back to using heroin and paints several images which depict him with his head cut open. The Haitian tells Claire that they must flee the country, because they cannot trust anybody else. When they get to the airport, Claire manages to separate from The Haitian by taking his passport and boarding pass. She goes to Peter Petrelli's apartment in New York, because he is the only person she trusts. Angela Petrelli opens the door and introduces herself as Claire's grandmother and reveals that she has been trying to protect her. Because of that, she has been working with The Haitian, who is also there. Before having his memory wiped, Mr. Bennet had told his wife to pretend that she had her memory erased by The Haitian. Moreover, he had told her the truth about whom he worked for and had given her a handwritten note, stating not to look for Claire. After returning from New York, Bennet reiterates his plan, affirming he will destroy Primatech, to "Sandra," whom Candice had been impersonating. As Candice reveals herself, Thompson and the men arrive to apprehend Bennet. Nathan and Hiro meet each other at the hotel. Nathan manages to allow Hiro access the museum, where he gives the remnants of the painting to the curator. After the curator leaves the room, Hiro finds the sword. Just as Hiro is about to take it, the curator catches him and calls security. The first guard to get there is Ando, who helps him block off security. Hiro finally gets the sword and teleports himself and Ando out to New York City and into the future, where they see the aftermath of the explosion. As they survey the wreckage of the city, a crushed Hiro says that he has failed. Jessica continues to pose as Niki, but D.L. Hawkins is getting suspicious due to clues left by Niki. Nathan is working undercover with the FBI and has a wire strapped to him to get the evidence on Mr. Linderman. Jessica gets to the agents, who are set up in another room, and kills them. Nathan comes back to his room, where Niki has been waiting. After removing the wire from Nathan, she warns him that his life is in danger and advises him to kill Linderman. Nathan confronts Linderman, who is cooking dinner in the kitchen. He is about to shoot Linderman when the old man states that it would be pointless if Nathan shot him because Nathan himself would be dead in moments. He states that he knows about the powers of Nathan and Peter and other heroes, in addition to knowing about Claire. Linderman continues, promising Nathan that he will not only win the election but that he will be in the White House in a few years' time, on the road to becoming President. Nathan puts down the gun. Mohinder Suresh drugs Sylar's chai. When Sylar comes to, he is strapped down in a chair, hooked up to an I.V. filled with liquid paralyzing his brain from unleashing his abilities. Mohinder reveals that he knew of Zane's death for quite some time, as Zane's body was eventually discovered and his death published in a newspaper. Sylar begs for his life and tells Mohinder that he knows about his sister and his father's secrets. Mohinder extracts spinal fluid from Sylar, runs the tests, and finally finds the key to being able to locate other people with superpowers. He tells Sylar that he will not forgive him for killing his father, despite their unstable relationship. Mohinder shoots at Sylar, but Sylar stops the bullet in mid-air, breaks free, and tells Mohinder he had stopped the I.V. long ago, adding that he was begging on behalf of Mohinder. Later, Peter comes to Mohinder's apartment, finding it darkened with the furniture overturned, as though a great struggle had taken place. Blood drips down onto him and he looks up to find Mohinder, barely alive and pinned to the ceiling, whispering, "Sylar." As he turns around, Sylar appears behind him and telekinetically pins him to the wall, grabbing him by the throat and inspecting him as he mutters, "You're like me, aren't you? I'd like to see how that works." He starts slicing Peter's head as Peter howls in pain. A few drops of blood and a lock of hair fall to the floor as the episode ends. Starring * Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet * Jack Coleman as Noah Bennet Memorable Quotes Trivia * The "Previously on Heroes" opening is spoken by Hiro and written in Japanese instead of the usual English when this episode aired on Global. * During the scene with Jessica and Micah, the game played is Heavenly Sword for the PlayStation 3. The game is due for release in June 2007, and the Playstation 3 itself would not have been released yet at the time the episode is set. * When Hiro is searching for the sword on a computer, the search reveals the item number is CRM-114. This sequence also appears in other works, most notably those of film-maker Stanley Kubrick. One such example is in Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange staring Malcolm McDowell who plays Linderman. * It was originally announced as "Like Any Parasite" until NBC shortened its name to "Parasite" on February 24, 2007. * Like Company Man, this episode debuted on Global in Canada a day ahead of NBC.